Letters: North County, Feb. 8, 2013

Save your fund money, Oceanside

After reading the article in the Jan. 27 U-T North County Times about a Coast Highway revival, I think I can save California and Oceanside taxpayers a half-million dollars in “study” funds (“City cruises toward Coast Highway revamp”).

It comes down to appearance. The photo on B-4 with the caption, “A cyclist rolls past ... ,” shows a large part of the problem: ugly, untrimmed palms and weeds overgrowing the sidewalk. The area looks second rate.

Next, the business owners should agree on a theme (western, alpine, woodsy, etc.) for the exteriors/facades of their establishments. Right now, the storefronts are an odd assortment at best. Don’t put round-a-bouts in if you want shoppers to stop. A dedicated bicycle lane is a good idea, but only on one side to reduce car vs. bike accidents by half.

If you reduce travel to one lane in each direction, a middle turn lane will be needed. I think that covers everything, but parking spaces. Spend the money for the study on landscape cleanup.

Rich Hughes

Oceanside

Remove incentives to control illegal immigration

According to Harry Reid, the top Senate Democrat, these are the major issues that must be addressed before an immigration legislation can be accepted: “Number one is border security, southern and northern border security. We have to do that. We have to have a pathway to legalization. We have to make sure that the employer sanctions work” (“Reid confident Congress will pass immigration law,” Feb. 4).

What he is suggesting is a total farce!

Reid suggests that we must make an effort to stop illegal immigrants from entering our country, but once they get here, we must welcome them. Not only should we offer them a “pathway to legalization” (amnesty), but we must also provide them with free medical care; we must teach their children in our schools free; they must receive all benefits offered to U.S. citizens through Health and Human Services: welfare, food stamps, cash assistance and housing assistance. Children born to them in this country are automatically U.S. citizens.

These incentives must be totally eliminated. Only then will we have illegal immigration under control.